


Talk to Me

by Everybody_Loves_Chocolate



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Affection, Alternate Universe - High School, Caring, Coming Out, Crushes, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Hugs, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee Are Best Friends, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan-centric, M/M, Mentioned Huang Ren Jun, Mentions of Anxiety, Not Beta Read, References to Depression, School Sucks, Sleep Deprivation, Stress, Talking, at least between the two of them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:34:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26649877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everybody_Loves_Chocolate/pseuds/Everybody_Loves_Chocolate
Summary: Donghyuck couldn't sleep and there was no one better to talk to than Mark. Somehow, the talk ends in Mark promising to hug Donghyuck when he next sees him. And it doesn't end at a simple hug.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 4
Kudos: 91





	Talk to Me

**Author's Note:**

> I don't have a lot to say except for, please don't be as dumb as me and learn to say no, instead of working on a project for ten hours just for the teacher not to show up, thus making your hard work basically useless.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy!

It was two in the morning on a Tuesday and Donghyuck was lying fully awake in his bed, hands folded over his stomach, looking up at the ceiling. It wasn't like Donghyuck wasn't tired or that he had to get up later than usual, he just couldn't seem to go to sleep at all. His head felt heavy and whenever he closed his eyes, a very unwelcome feeling of dread overcame him, so he chose not to try and fall asleep.

Donghyuck didn't know what it was but he felt unsettled and like he should do _something_ but he didn't know what that something was or why he should do it. So he was lying there and looking, looking, looking at the ceiling, not blinking very often, head empty except for that heavy, uncomfortable feeling in the back. If Donghyuck had to describe it somehow, he would say that, in his mind, it was a heavy black cloud, huddled into the back of Donghyuck's head like it knew it was bad but didn't want to accept it, stubbornly refusing to go.

He didn't exactly know what to do about it but in a time of crisis he always had a special someone to lean on.

**To: My Marker**

**U awake?**

Mark had always been there for Donghyuck. He'd always cared for Donghyuck and he was still doing it, sometimes even going out of his way to make Donghyuck feel comfortable. Sure, Donghyuck hadn't exactly told the older boy about his anxiety and inability to deal with stress but that was all on Donghyuck, not Mark.

Mark was basically perfect. He was considerate and nice, kind and honest to a fault, easy to tease, easy to talk to and most importantly, easy to like. And that's what Donghyuck did. Like Mark. It was hard not to, especially considering they had been friends for years, Donghyuck was gay, and Mark was nothing if not perfect crush material.

**From: My Marker**

**I am but y are u**

**To: My Marker**

**Lots to think about, u?**

**From: My Marker**

**Geography sucks, I hope she doesn't fail me for not giving a fuck**

Donghyuck snorted. Mark always said he didn't care about school but then he would sit and work on a project for ten hours.

**To: My Marker**

**Clearly, u do give a fuck**

**From: My Marker**

**Mh**

**From: My Marker**

**So, what chu thinkin bout**

**To: My Marker**

**This has nothing to do with it but do you promise not to leave me**

Anxiously, Donghyuck bit his fingernails as he awaited Mark's answer. He'd never come out to the older boy and for some reason, he felt like now was the time. And sure, Mark was supportive of the LGBTQ community but this and that were always different things. Mark may still feel repulsed at the thought of being close to someone that could possibly be attracted to him who wasn't on his 'people I'm attracted to' spectrum. Maybe, he'd be uncomfortable with the fact and want to distance himself from Donghyuck.

**From: My Marker**

**Of course Hyuck**

**From: My Marker**

**I'd never ever leave you**

**To: My Marker**

**Okay**

Donghyuck took a deep breath and swallowed once to get rid of the suffocating feeling climbing up his throat. It didn't really help but he couldn't back out now.

**To: My Marker**

**I'm gay**

**To: My Marker**

**Like, into dudes and also it's not a phase**

It didn't take Mark long to respond and Donghyuck kept their chat open but he still jumped when the older boy's message arrived.

**From: My Marker**

**Oh, okay**

**From: My Marker**

**I'm gay too**

**To: My Marker**

**Wait, srsly?**

**From: My Marker**

**Yep, wouldn't lie about that**

Donghyuck let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. The two of them had never talked about crushes to each other or made any kind of comment about who they were attracted to. Somehow, Donghyuck had just always assumed Mark just didn't want to talk about it, not that he might've also been anxious about coming out and not being accepted.

After that, their conversation went over to a different topic, namely the geography project Mark was working on, and then over to school in general. Everything was normal except for the fact that Donghyuck was out to his best friend, and crush, now and his best friend was out to him as well. A bit of the heavy feeling in his head dispersed but it wasn't gone completely yet.

**From: My Marker**

**Can I call u?**

Donghyuck blinked at the message, unsure if he was reading right or if he was imagining things. No, he was definitely not imagining it, why would he anyways?

**To: My Marker**

**Y?**

**From: My Marker**

**Just because**

**To: My Marker**

**Okay**

Not even a second passed, before Donghyuck's screen was overtaken by an incoming call and, with only little hesitation, Donghyuck answered, pressing the phone to his ear. Mark didn't say anything though, the only thing Donghyuck could hear being the older boy's breathing.

Donghyuck pursed his lips and waited for Mark to say something, anything. It didn’t even have to be a greeting, just anything that would allow Donghyuck to hear the older boy’s voice. Mark’s voice had something calming about it no matter in what situation. It was very smooth and gentle, not too high and not too low, and Donghyuck really really liked it.

“Are you alright, Hyuck?” Mark asked finally and Donghyuck nodded despite Mark not being able to see him. Okay, maybe he wasn’t alright but he didn’t want Mark to worry about him because of something as dumb as Donghyuck’s head feeling heavy. Donghyuck cleared his throat before answering, “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you?”

Mark hummed and Donghyuck could just clearly imagine him spinning in his chair, eyes looking upwards as he thought about how to answer.

As Donghyuck waited for Mark to answer, he sat up and positioned himself comfortably against the headrest of his bed, pulling one of his pillows against his chest to rest his chin on it and also cuddle.

“I’m fine, just really tired of this shit.” Donghyuck snorted and shook his head with a smile. Mark was always more vulgar when he’d been awake for a long time. “I mean, what kind of person would give such a large and time-consuming project as an assignment from one day to another? I should file a complaint.”

Donghyuck chuckled and responded, “You and I both know that’s not going to happen. You’re way too nice for that and nothing would probably happen anyways. They’d just tell you to manage your time more wisely and that would be that.”

Mark sighed and then it was silent for a little while again. Donghyuck let his mind wander as he waited for his best friend to say something. It occurred to him then that talking with Mark had distracted him from his heavy head and he smiled against his pillow as he slowly started to register it again. Knowing Mark had enough power to temporarily make Donghyuck actually feel better, even thought it only worked while they were talking, made Donghyuck feel warm inside.

His thoughts were interrupted by Mark saying, “Are you really alright, Hyuckie? You’re normally not awake this late. Is there anything I can do to help?”

It was silly but Donghyuck’s eyes filled with tears at Mark’s words. He knew Mark cared about him, they wouldn’t be friends otherwise, but, still, hearing it from Mark himself was different than knowing he would want to help Donghyuck when he was down.

Donghyuck didn’t dare speak, afraid of his voice betraying the tears in his eyes, so he just hummed, trying to gather himself.

Mark gave him time, didn’t say anything again, before Donghyuck’s eyes were dry and he lied, “I’m fine, you really don’t have to worry about it.”

Again, Mark sighed and Donghyuck pressed his lips together. He didn’t necessarily lie to Mark but he wasn’t confident enough in trusting Mark with his mental issues when he couldn’t even trust himself with them. Donghyuck was aware that it was a very flawed logic that made next to no sense but he still couldn’t bring himself to talk.

“You don’t need to lie, Hyuck,” Mark finally said and Donghyuck’s breath hitched. “I know you’re not feeling well, I haven’t been your best friend for over fifteen years just to not notice that. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to but I just want you to know that I’m always here for you.”

This time, Donghyuck couldn’t stop the tears, letting them flow freely over his face. It wasn’t even something extremely special what he had said it just was the genuineness Donghyuck could hear behind the words that rendered him speechless and unable to answer if it wasn’t in hiccups.

“Hey, Hyuck,” Mark mumbled when Donghyuck had finally calmed down enough to listen again and had blown his nose. It was a little embarrassing but at least Mark hadn’t seen him cry. “I’m going to hug you when I see you in school tomorrow.”

Donghyuck furrowed his brows and shook his head, responding, “No, you really don’t need to.”

“But I want to and everybody needs a little love. Especially you, Hyuck.”

Donghyuck’s heart skipped a beat at the choice of words but still he agreed quietly, telling himself that it didn’t mean anything. Mark meant platonic love at best and as much as Donghyuck liked him, he didn’t expect Mark to like him back anyways, let alone love.

They wished each other a good night soon after but Donghyuck knew Mark wouldn’t go to sleep anytime soon if he wanted to finish his homework. However, Donghyuck actually did feel better and when he closed his eyes, he didn’t feel uncomfortable. Still, he forced his eyes open once more to text Mark one more time before going to sleep.

**To: My Marker**

**I’ll hug you too**

Donghyuck didn’t really expect Mark to actually come to him before class instead of waiting for lunch time when they would definitely meet. Mark looked kind of bad with giant bags under his eyes and his shoulders slumped but his eyes were as wide and kind as ever as he marched right up to Donghyuck.

Nobody really paid him any attention, considering how often he would come over to talk with Donghyuck. However, when he enveloped Donghyuck in a hug without a word and Donghyuck hugged him back, resting his cheek against the side of Mark’s head, some people looked at them with raised eyebrows. Donghyuck was surprised to find that he didn’t really mind, feeling safe and welcome in Mark’s arms.

The hug lasted longer than any normal one would but even when Mark pulled back, he didn’t let go of Donghyuck, holding him by the shoulders. The older boy’s eyes flicked across Donghyuck’s face and his lips formed a small smile.

“You don’t look too good but I bet I don’t look much better either.”

Donghyuck laughed and shook his head. Mark’s smile grew and his nose scrunched up cutely as well as his eyes as he pulled Donghyuck into another, this time shorter, hug.

Before Donghyuck could even really reciprocate, the bell rang and Mark pulled away again. This time, one hand let go of Donghyuck but the other slid down his arm and stopped at his hand, intertwining their fingers. Surprised, Donghyuck looked down but he didn’t let go, of course not, instead squeezing Mark’s hand. Donghyuck didn’t know what exactly was happening but it didn’t feel bad.

“So, Hyuck,” Mark started, his eyes looking everywhere but right at Donghyuck, “I, um, would like to tell you something later. Um, would you-” Mark cleared his throat. “Would you wait in the room before going to lunch?”

Slowly, Donghyuck nodded. He didn’t really know what to anticipate but Mark seemed really nervous and if he deemed it important enough to miss food for, he would never say no.

Mark shot Donghyuck another smile before glancing at his wristwatch and cursing.

“Shit, I have to go. See you later, Hyuckie! Don’t forget!”

And then he was gone, leaving Donghyuck to stand perplexed in the middle of the class room, staring at the door.

“Hey, are you okay?” someone asked and Donghyuck nodded, going back to his seat again. He wondered what Mark wanted to talk to him about, not catching anything the teacher was talking about and mindlessly following his classmates to the next room. He didn’t notice how people actually had to prevent him from walking into lockers or other people, mind too occupied by what Mark might want to talk to him about.

Lunch time came faster than it did a lot of times, leaving Donghyuck to sit alone in a room, waiting for Mark to arrive. It didn’t take the older boy long to do so, showing up at the door with a heaving chest and slightly ruffled clothes. Donghyuck giggled at Mark’s appearance but still helped him fix it, heart racing whenever Mark’s fingertips so much as brushed over Donghyuck’s skin.

“Thanks,” Mark said when he looked somewhat presentable again but he didn’t make a move to step away or sit down, so Donghyuck stayed where he was as well.

“So,” Donghyuck started, heart threatening to beat out of his chest, “what did you want to talk about?”

Mark hummed and tentatively reached to hold one of Donghyuck’s hands again. Of course, Donghyuck would never deny him, reaching out as well and intertwining their fingers again. Mark took a deep breath and then it just came rushing out of him.

“Okay, so I was awake till five today and I’m running on three Red Bulls that I chugged right after one another so I don’t think my mind is functioning properly but I’m feeling energized and I don’t know if I’ll ever be gone enough to say this so I’m getting it out now. I never told you I was gay because I was scared you wouldn’t want to be close with me after that anymore and I really can’t afford to lose you. You’re the most precious being in my life and when you came out to me yes- I mean, today, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. It didn’t only mean that you wouldn’t push me away but also that my crush might be reciprocated. Even if you don’t like me back, we can still be friends. I just wanted to tell you now because right now I have next to no awareness of what is a stupid decision and what isn’t so, yeah.”

Again, Mark took a deep breath, eyes closed. Donghyuck just stood there perplexed at the word vomit and trying to piece everything Mark had just said together. He was pretty sure he had said something about his crush being reciprocated which would mean that Mark had a crush on Donghyuck and wanted him to like him back, obviously.

Donghyuck shook his head, trying to gather his thoughts before he spoke but all that came out was, “You like me?”

Mark’s eyes widened, looking somewhat startled, but his hand didn’t leave Donghyuck’s, if anything he gripped it even tighter as he redirected his gaze away from Donghyuck to a poster on the wall.

“Of course I do,” Mark mumbled. “You’re not only cute, you’re also considerate and nice and I can’t get over your moles.”

Donghyuck huffed a short, unbelieving laugh, making Mark look at him again.

“I- I like you too. I never even thought you would be interested in someone like me when you’re so- so _perfect_ ,” Donghyuck confessed and Mark was quick to shake his head, insisting, “I’m not perfect, Hyuck. I don’t know what you see in me but I’m far from perfect.”

“Okay, but you like me for real?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Can I kiss you?”

Donghyuck didn’t know where the confidence had come from but he’d gone and asked it now, rendering Mark motionless for about a second before the older boy blushed and nodded slightly, whispering, “Yeah.”

Carefully, Donghyuck stepped even closer than he was standing, placing his free hand on the side of Mark’s face. Mark was hot, literally hot, under his touch, cheeks coloured a pretty red as his eyes flicked down to Donghyuck’s lips and up to his eyes again. It wasn’t like Donghyuck had never kissed anyone before but it felt different with Mark somehow, before their lips even touched.

“Okay, I’m going to kiss you now,” Donghyuck whispered, leaning forward and Mark nodded and closed his eyes, lips slightly parted.

The kiss didn’t make fireworks explode or angels sing but it made Donghyuck feel warm and comfortable as Mark’s free hand found its place under Donghyuck’s jaw, on the side of his neck. It was a simple lips against lips kiss at first but then, Mark slowly began moving his mouth and Donghyuck followed.

Everything felt a little tentative, a little slow, allowing the two to explore each other with soft hands and closed eyes. Donghyuck even forgot they were still in school until he heard the sound of a door opening and someone saying, “God, finally.”

Donghyuck and Mark startled away from each other, only to find Lucas standing in the door frame, looking kind of smug.

“You guys finally got your shit together, huh? Renjun owes me a fiver.” The tall boy grinned before raising two fingers in a mock salute and disappearing again with a short, “Continue whatever you were doing.”

Donghyuck and Mark turned to look at each other, blinking before breaking down, giggling.

“I can’t believe they bet on us,” Mark got out, clutching his stomach, supporting himself by gripping at Donghyuck’s shoulder. “We should’ve gotten it together sooner if it was that obvious.”

Donghyuck only nodded and smiled at Mark, happy that he at least didn’t have to hide his crush from him anymore. Sure, Mark still didn’t know everything that troubled Donghyuck but Donghyuck doubted he knew everything about Mark as well. They’d go on dates and talk and discover more things about each other as time went by and there was no need to rush anything.

“So,” Donghyuck grinned, cupping Mark’s face. “Round Two?”


End file.
